Crowsnest 1000 KM Brevet – 9/15/2017

The Crowsnest 1000 km is not your ordinary 1000 km. It will climb over many mountain ranges in Washington, British Columbia, Idaho and Montana. This route includes mountainous highways through British Columbia as an alternate way to Whitefish, instead of riding the traditional Seattle or Portland Glacier 1000 km routes. After comparing the elevation profiles, Crowsnest route is obviously quite the contrast to the original, with many beautiful views of the Cascades, Okanagan Highlands, the Manashees Range and Selkirk Mountains. The route is named after the Crowsnest Highway BC-3, which is the shortest distant highway connecting the High Plains of Alberta with Hope, BC.

The portion of the Crowsnest Highway this 1000 km will cross over the 5 rugged mountain passess of south central BC all on Day 2, between Osoyoos and Creston.

This section will be some of the most rigorous randonneur mountain riding, but will be well supported on the climb up Kootenay Pass, on the way to Creston, BC. The entire 1000k will be very challenging with about 36,000 ft of climbing (according to Openrunner).

Day 1 will follow similar passes as in Cascade 1200 course (though reversed) over Rainy, Washington and Loup Loup Passes and head north to overnight in Osoyoos, BC. After the Day 2 mountainous day on the Crowsnest, Day 3 will be much less climbing through broader valleys of Kootenay River and Fisher River and one mountain pass over the Salish Range (Happy’s Inn Summit).

This will be a minimally-supported brevet. Drop bags will be transported to the overnight controls. Overnights: Osoyoos and Creston, BC and a control on the climb up Kootenay Pass.

Registration includes accommodations at the overnight stops at the SIR standard 2 riders per bed. Some food will be provided if riders are projected to arrive after nearby services close. Riders are responsible for their own accommodations at the start/finish as well as transportation to and from the start/finish.

To help with planning, please register early or email the organizer an expression of interest if you are seriously considering this ride. Rider limit of 25, due to limited rooms in Creston!

 

Day 1

Day 1 is 369 km with 13,500 feet, and starts over the North Cascades of Washington (Rainy Pass 4875ft/1486m and Washington Pass 5477ft./1669 m) and also over the Okanogan Range (Loup Loup Pass 4020ft./1225m ) on Highway 20. After following along the Okanogan River/ Osoyoos Lake and crossing the border into British Columbia, Canada the route will overnight in Osoyoos, BC.

 

Day 2

Day 2 is 336 km with 16,375 ft of climbing. From Osoyoos, the route will head east on Crowsnest BC-Hwy 3, and climb over Okanogan Highlands (Anarchist Pass [4045ft, 1233m], Eholt Summit [3458ft, 1054m] and Paulson Pass [5036ft,1535m]), The Monashees Range (Bombi Summit 4009ft/1221m) and The Selkirk Range (Kootenay Pass 5823 ft/ 1775m) before the overnight in Creston, BC. Kootenay Pass climbs 3800 ft in 24km, with grades at 8% in the top 16km!

 

Day 3

Day 3 will be much tamer with 5600 ft of climbing in 300k. After Creston, the route will go south back over into Idaho. The Porthill, Idaho Border crossing is open only from 7am to 11pm, but the unofficial pace time at the border is at 8:25am, so this should not be a problem for crossing the border. The border is also only 14k from Creston, which will allow enough time to get some sleep and breakfast to stay on pace. The route will follow along the Kootenay River to Libby, MT and then pass through the Salish Range, following up Libby Creek and Fisher River valleys (McKillop forest road), summiting at Happy’s Inn. Then descend into the Flathead basin into Kalispell, where there are some new bike trails to avoid the main highways, then head north to finish in Whitefish.

Please note that this 1000k route will require the following:

  • Passport or Enhanced Driver’s License (or other ID’s required to enter Canada/US)
  • Qualification: completed a 600k or greater in 2016 or 2017 or with organizers permission.

The start, where riders are responsible for their own accommodations, is:

Mt Vernon Best Western Plus
2300 Market St
Mt Vernon, WA 98273

Transportation to Mt Vernon: Amtrak available to Mt Vernon from Seattle/SEATAC.

The finish (riders responsible for accommodation again) is:

Best Western Rocky Mountain Lodge

6510 Highway 93 S
Whitefish, Montana 59937

Transportation from the finish: Amtrak is available at Whitefish back to Mt Vernon/Seattle. Or arrange a shuttle to the Glacier Park International Airport, near Kalispell.

Overnight controls where shared beds and drop bag support will be provided:

Sept 15 Osoyoos, BC Canada

Avalon Inn 9106 Main St, PO Box 92, Osoyoos, BC, V0H 1V0 http://www.avaloninn.ca/

Sept 16 Creston, BC Canada

Magnuson Hotel 800 Northwest Blvd, Creston, BC V0B 1G2, Canada https://www.magnusonhotels.com/hotel/magnuson-hotel-creston/

Note: SIR will not reserve or pay for anyone wanting their own separate room. If you prefer to pay for your own room, please let us know in your registration comments.

We will make an effort to accommodate preferred roomates, so please indicate any preference in your registration comments.

The preliminary route is available on Ride With GPS: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/17970809

We will provide a cue sheet after the pre-ride over Labor Day weekend.

Visit the Seattle Randonneurs website to register: http://seattlerando.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=626:brevet&catid=61:2017-brevets-and-populaires

1 Comment

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One Response to Crowsnest 1000 KM Brevet – 9/15/2017

  1. Alex Brede

    I am working on my transportation back home from Whitefish. The train and the bus are starting to get a bit complicated, and I am wondering if anyone will be driving back on Monday, the 18th, from whom I could catch a ride.